Speed Ball

Posted by Admin on June 6, 2006

Are you in beach body shape yet? Well, if not, there is a new type of exercise that might do the trick! It’s called Speedball. Amy is a Speedball fanatic. “I used to wear a heart rate monitor, I think you burn about six or seven hundred calories for the hour. The endurance level that is required to take this class is through the roof,” she says. Speedball is a cardiovascular and muscular endurance class—both aerobic and anaerobic exercise--using the medicine ball as an athletic resistance tool. Jill Lavorgna, also a Speedball lover, says, “It gives me the best cardiovascular and strength workout because it does a lot of lateral movements, it really works every muscle in my body and it is constant motion, so I really feel like I am getting a complete body workout.”

Speedball works on the principle of progression: the exercises get harder as you continue to take the class. In fact, there are several different levels, allowing you to gradually build up your strength and endurance. Steve Feinberg, the inventor of Speedball, says, “Someone who is a beginner can work next to someone who is an advanced athlete and still get a workout that commensurate with them.”

Then there’s the second class called Speedball core. “Speedball core is everything from here to here and both sides, anything that is not an appendix or an extremity is covered in Speedball core, and it also uses the medicine ball and we do some fun partner drills so it is a good time,” says Steve. Ryan Makely, who enjoys the Speedball core class, says, “I took the abdominal one and I like that it wasn'’t just sitting down doing crunches, I like that you actually use the ball and you use movements and it works, and it was fun, a lot of fun.”

“All the speed ball fitness brand classes work on the think move beat principle, so what we preach is that if you engage your mind as you move your body, you are going to get a more efficient workout,” states Steve. Jill agrees. “You have to use your brain a lot to so it puts everything together,” she says. Shanit Bar says the payoff is obvious. “As soon as I started working out with him I saw my abs got shredded and my body started getting more toned, and I am in it for the long hall.”